How Loyalty, Trust and Service Shaped the Political Journey of President Tinubu’s Dependable Ally
In politics, loyalty is often proclaimed but rarely sustained. The corridors of power are littered with stories of shifting allegiances, abandoned friendships, and political partnerships that crumble under the weight of ambition. Yet, amidst Nigeria’s often turbulent political landscape, one name continues to stand out as a symbol of consistency, trust, and steadfast commitment — Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke.
For more than two decades, Faleke has built a reputation not merely as a politician, but as a trusted lieutenant, strategic organizer, and dependable ally whose influence extends beyond public office into the intricate architecture of political leadership and governance.
Today, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to steer Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda, many observers point to Faleke as one of the key figures whose loyalty and dedication have helped shape both the President’s political success and the stability of the governing party.
In the reception area of the now-defunct Concord Newspapers headquarters in Lagos, a framed inscription once caught the attention of visitors. It read:
“If a man pays you to work for him, please work for him. If he helps to put food on your table, be loyal to him; defend him…”
While those words speak to loyalty and gratitude, they only partially explain the enduring relationship between Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Faleke’s unwavering support for the President goes far beyond political patronage or personal gain. Rather, it is rooted in over two decades of mutual trust, shared political ideals, and a relationship that has weathered some of the most turbulent moments in Nigeria’s political history.
Today, James Faleke is widely regarded as one of President Tinubu’s most trusted allies, a dependable lieutenant whose loyalty has remained steadfast through victories, challenges, and political transitions.
Faleke’s undiluted love and loyalty to Tinubu, which can be described as quite fierce, is a product of a friendship that spans 23 years, during which period the president has held him by the hand to help him navigate the highly turbulent waters of Nigerian politics with, expectedly and naturally, rewards that have brought the lawmaker to the point where he is today on his life’s journey. Such is the degree of his loyalty and dedication to Tinubu many believe if he had to lay down his life to protect the president’s interest on any issue under the sun, he would gladly do so without batting an eyelid.
If Faleke is described today as one of Tinubu’s most dependable and trusted allies, it is not for want of a better description, or a merely generous use of words. It is because he has earned the description. It is because the lawmaker has earned Tinubu’s trust, confidence and reliability in contributing to the resolution of complex national issues that sometimes require hard, well-thought-out decisions, including decisions that have far reaching political and socio-economic implications.
Tinubu has had cause to publicly praise the lawmaker for his unwavering loyalty, patriotism and dedication to whatever responsibility he is entrusted with, pointing out his commitment and untiring efforts during the electioneering that brought him (the president) into office in 2023, when he served as the Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), and contributed immensely to his victory.
Faleke was in the forefront of the foot soldiers that worked for Tinubu’s emergence as the presidential flagbearer of APC for the 2023 election. He was there with Tinubu, then an aspirant, at the Eagle Square, Abuja, in 2022 when the latter defeated 13 others to pick the party’s ticket for the election. At the palace of Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos where, as president-elect, Tinubu went to thank the traditional ruler for his support, he did not fail to mention Faleke as a man close to his heart, who played a pivotal in his victory at the polls.
“Let me show you one of your sons who deserves prayers,” Tinubu told the monarch, about his disciple whom he has had cause to describe as a work horse and a unifying factor. “He is James Faleke. He is a good person. May he live long and not be put to shame.”
The president will have cause to commend the lawmaker again for his involvement in his re-election bid for 2027, a project to which he has already committed. In preparation for his 2027 re-election bid, President Tinubu in February approved appointment of Faleke as a Renewed Hope Ambassador and the Deputy Secretary for party Outreach, Engagement and Mobilization. In addition, the president also approved his inclusion as member of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body within the Lagos State Chapter of the All-Progressives Congress (APC).
Faleke was the one who played the highly significant role of purchasing the nomination and expression of interest forms for the president’s entry into the presidential race, though the money was provided by the Governance Advisory Council, the powerful political machine that literally decides who governs Lagos State. He played a similar role in 2022, leading up to the election of 2023. Suffice it to say that when the time comes for the commencement of electioneering, he would be in the forefront, in the thick of battle – for Tinubu.
Faleke has the president’s ears, perhaps with just a tap on the shoulder. He is one of the people the president listens to. Those close to the corridors of power in Aso-Rock, Abuja, say the lawmaker plays a more strategic role in the Tinubu administration beyond helping to craft laws in the National Assembly. He makes inputs into some of the key decisions Tinubu makes. And the fact that he sometimes helps in headhunting candidates for some of the appointments the president has made speaks volumes about his dependability, and the trust Tinubu has in his judgement. If there is a kitchen cabinet in Aso-Rock, Faleke must be a member.
It bears mentioning the fact that though one of Tinubu’s “Lagos Boys,” Faleke does not hail from Lagos State. He is from Kogi State, but a beneficiary of Tinubu’s longstanding and highly acknowledged policy of going beyond state boundaries to pick the best for appointment into public offices. A man who believes talent does not necessarily exist locally, the president is on record as being the only one, as governor, who went out of his state to appoint people from other states into his administration. For him, talent and competence do not wear ethnic, religious or state colours.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of information in the Muhammadu Buhari administration who was Tinubu’s chief of staff during his first term as governor of Lagos State, is from Kwara State. Dele Alake, the current Minister of Solid Minerals Development, who was Tinubu’s commissioner of information, and Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader who was commissioner of youths, sports and social development when Tinubu was governor of Lagos State, are from Ekiti State. Ben Akabueze, Tinubu’s commissioner for economic planning and budget in Lagos, hails from Anambra State. Senator Olaimilekan Adeola, who represents Ogun West Senatorial District in the Senate, first represented Alimosho State Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly; member representing the Alimosho Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, though from Ogun State. A Tinubu protégé, Adeola is the APC governorship candidate for Ogun State in the 2027 election.
Before starting what would turn out to be a fulfilling and eventful political journey, Faleke had a distinguished career in the private sector. He worked at various times as Material Manager, Kayo Foods, Ilupeju, in Lagos; Purchasing Clearing, Distribution and Commercial Manager, Tate Industries Plc and Purchasing Manager, Air Liquid Plc. He also worked as Purchasing Manager, Aluminum Manufacturing Company of Nigeria (ALUMO) Plc and Commercial Manager, Crown Agents Limited.
Faleke had his first taste of public office when Tinubu, as governor of Lagos, appointed him the pioneer Executive Secretary of the newly-created Ojodu Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), in 2003. That was after Tinubu ran into a constitutional roadblock in his attempt to create more local government areas, which would have increased the number of local government areas in Nigeria from the 774 recognized in the constitution. It was an action that pitched him against then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, when the latter decided to withhold local government allocations from the Federation Account, which led to an epic legal battle that went up to the Supreme Court. The then Lagos State governor decided to call his new creation LCDAs, not local government areas, an appellation those areas still answer till today.
Faleke took the audacious plunge into the murky waters of Nigerian politics in 2011 when he contested and won election to represent the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. His tenure as Executive Secretary of Ojodu LCDA, in which capacity he performed quite satisfactorily, served as his recommendation for the position of lawmaker at the federal level.
In 2015, he attempted to take his political ambition a notch higher by agreeing to be running mate to Abubakar Audu who contested to be governor of Kogi State on the platform of APC. The death of Audu before the result could be announced threw up a legal challenge that took the Supreme Court to resolve. Faleke felt he was the natural beneficiary of the development who should be sworn in as the elected governor. But his party thought otherwise. The party chose to transfer the votes of the deceased to Yahaya Bello who was the runner up. Faleke went to court to challenge the decision of the party, going all the way to the apex court, but lost.
He may have lost his bid to become governor of his own state of Kogi, but he did not lose the trust of the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency, in Lagos, who welcomed him back with open arms, assuring him his seat was still available for him in the House of Representatives. The lawmaker is currently serving his fourth term as representative of the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
Faleke is one of the most experienced law makers in the National Assembly today. His 16 years tenure in the House of Representatives has equipped him with the knowledge and expertise that is required to make laws in a complex, as well as politically, religiously and culturally diverse country such as Nigeria. He brings this experience to bear in his contributions to drafting of the laws that come out of the federal legislature. This experience is also reflected in his performance as chairman of the various House committees he has chaired, including committees on Anti-Corruption, National Ethics and Values, as well as Finance.
Faleke has won his party’s primary as the candidate for election for the Ikeja Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives in 2027. If he wins on January 16, 2027, as he is likely to do, he would serve a record 20 years in the lower chamber of the National Assembly – the length of tenure we read about in the United States where a law maker could serve in the legislature for decades. It is a reflection of the level of trust and confidence the people of Ikeja Federal Constituency have in him, and the satisfaction they have in is performance.
A major attribute of Faleke, one that has endured him to many and, perhaps, an attribute Tinubu recognized when he adopted him as a disciple, is his humility. Despite his closeness to the president, he remains quite humble, not given to flaunting the relationship, or dropping the latter’s name, as many in his shoes would do. In fact, many that do not enjoy that level of closeness would literally earn a livelihood from dropping the president’s name in important economic, social, and even traditional circles.
Faleke is more focused on making valuable contributions to Tinubu’s efforts at governance in a manner that would bring benefits to the Nigerian people – whether in the National Assembly or in Aso Rock, than whatever personal benefits he could derive from his relationship with the president. His selfless approach to issues relating to the president’s vision for the country, as well as efforts at delivering good governance to the people of Nigeria, is one of the major factors that make him a trusted, reliable and dependable ally of the country’s number one citizen.
Born on December 25, 1959, in Ekinrin, in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State where he received his early education, Faleke attended the Abdulazeez Atta Memorial College, Okene. He graduated from the Kaduna Polytechnic in 1986 with the Higher National Diploma in Purchasing and Supply Management, with the award of Best Student, with Upper Credit. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Imo State University, Owerri.
Faleke is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing Supply, London, and Fellow, Institute of Public Administration.
